'Done very very well': Jay Rayner names Leeds restaurant among his top three in Britain
‘Nothing on the menu will surprise you but it is done very very well’
A French restaurant in Leeds has received glowing recognition from food critic Jay Rayner.
The journalist appeared on the Routes LNER podcast earlier this month, where host Jenni Falconer asked him about his favourite restaurants in Britain.
Asked about his top three eateries, Rayner said: “Sous Le Nez, an old stager in Leeds that has been there a very long time.
“Great wine list. Nothing on the menu will surprise you but it is done very very well.”
The French-style bistro was founded in March 1991 by restaurateur Robert Chamberlain and executive chef Andrew Carter, who still run the restaurant 35 years later.
One of Leeds’ longest-running restaurants, Sous Le Nez has earned accolades at the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Oliver Awards, as well as other awards over the years. It is a three-time winner of the YEP’s Best Restaurant in Leeds award.
The basement bistro is located beneath Quebec House, and its wine list currently runs to 70 pages, according to Harden’s.
Rayner studied politics at the University of Leeds, where he edited the student newspaper.
In 2024, he wrote a glowing review after visiting Tharavadu, calling it a restaurant that would “make you profoundly happy”.